On 04/11/2011 11:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:52:15 on Fri, 4
Nov 2011, Graeme Wall remarked:

Regardless of what's on the ground, they routinely start to turn very
soon after take-off, so as to head in the direction they need to fly
(ie, to join the airway). It's not normally straight ahead.

I used to live in Reading which is almost exactly due west of
Heathrow. Tell me again about the planes having turned off before then.

A few head west over Reading, but others turn over Windsor. It depends
where they are going.

So some do go straight ahead, contrary to what you said before.

That was my first posting to the thread, so no I didn't say anything
before.

Apologies, what /was/ said before.


In addition some of those that do turn will be turning north-west
across London, it's a big place.

What's important here is how far west of Heathrow they get, so we can
compare how far west of the estuary airport the planes might turn.

It's not strictly comparable, you just don't turn onto a parallel track
55kms east of the LHR track.



--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail